"Although inevitably and consciously reminiscent of Make Way for Ducklings, this book impresses all on its own with its fine design, compelling story, expressive images and gentle environmental message. (Picture book. 4-7)"

Based on events that occurred in Montauk, N.Y., in 2000, this title begins when Mama and her five little ducks go for a walk. A surprising fall leads to a dramatic rescue and this endearing story that's sure to warm hearts for years to come.
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Based on a true story of shipwreck and rescue, Carbone's tale is leavened with narration by Anthony, a venturesome lad whose penchant for playing pirates helps him through the harrowing event.
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"Go ahead, break a few dishes in the washing machine, see the humor and enjoy this fine poke at every science fair that ever was. (Picture book. 4-8)"

What would happen if a stand-up comedian—a good stand-up comedian, like Robin Williams or George Carlin (minus those seven famous words)—were to choose the question for a science experiment? This, in these pages, is what would happen.
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"Carpenter's nostalgic, pastel-hued pen, ink and digital-media illustrations capture the atmosphere of late-19th-century Amherst as well as Gil's special relationship with his famous aunt in this poetic vignette. (Picture book. 6-8)"

A six-year-old boy stalwartly defends his spinster aunt in a touching incident based on an event in poet Emily Dickinson's life.
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"Picking up where the many descendants of Struwwelpeter leave off, these character portraits aren't likely to change anyone's behavior set, but they'll certainly elicit nods of recognition, even from younger children. (Picture book. 7-9)"

The illustrator of Jenny Offill's 17 Things I'm Not Allowed To Do Anymore (2007) builds on a clear knack for depicting deceptively fresh-faced children with this extended alliterative gallery of malfeasants.
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"Some readers may find this young envelope-pusher entertainingly spirited, but there are sure to be those who are going to balk at the notion of pretending to be sorry and having it work. (Picture book. 6-8)"

"A rollicking good story, the narrative is followed up by an author's note that explains the facts known about Morris and resources for further exploration. (Picture book. 5-9)"

A fictionalized biography of woman suffrage pioneer Esther Morris introduces her to readers at the age of six, as she studies her mother making tea and decides, "I can do that."
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"The pun-filled text and puckish pictures by the team that created Fannie in the Kitchen (2001) spin a pip of a yarn that is just downright delicious. (Picture book. 4-8)"

The subtitle ("Being the [Slightly] True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries [and Children] Across the Plains") sets the tone and describes the plot, but the flavor is in the folksy telling of this clever tall tale that humorously portrays a family's trek west from Iowa to Oregon to plant their father's fruit trees.
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In a moving tribute to the power of books and words, Winters (But Mom, Everyone Else Does, p. 1239, etc.) introduces a young backwoods child who watched "peddlers, pioneers, / politicians, traders, slaves / pass by," down the old Cumberland Trail, until "his ideas stretched. / His questions rose. / His dreams were stirred"—and he was caught with a love of learning that carried him "from the wilderness / to the White House."
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"An appealing nautical tale, this will have reflective readers wondering why whales would come to the rescue of a whaling ship, but O'Neill's language has a roll and verve that captures her young heroine's spirit perfectly. (Picture book. 5-8)"

Seven-year-old Emily, a petite child with stentorian pipes, takes ship with whispery Captain Baroo and his "kind but luckless" crew rather than enroll in Miss Meekmeister's School for Soft-Spoken Girls.
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"Mona's narrative concludes with an explicit, heartfelt plea for peace, addressed to the President of the US; but the universal humanity that's implicit in her lyrical portrait of Sitti is more powerful still. (Picture book. 4-9)"

Drowsing in bed or aloft in her swing at home in the US, Mona recalls visiting ``Sitti'' (Grandma) on ``the other side of the earth.'' Though Sitti speaks only Arabic (she and Mona ``talked through my father, as if he were a telephone''), the two had their own language of gestures and glances, hums, and claps.
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Grandfatherly, competent Lee has a game with Louise and Warren, the nice, quiet kids who are first on his route: at the second stop, where five obstreperous boys and their five unruly dogs careen on, he offers an after-school candy bar for the child who guesses which dog (Black Toe, Short Ribs, Fly, Wipeout, or Quinn) will be first on.
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"The events are unexceptional, but narrated with grace and a good sense of childhood's pleasures (though none of its conflicts or frustrations); the soft, realistic color illustrations appealingly depict a snowy, old-fashioned northeastern Christmas. (Picture book. 4-8)"

In her first picture book, the well-known columnist tells a bland but warmhearted story: a nice family with three young children choose their Christmas tree at a farm and happily decorates it together; when the children feel sad about putting the tree out with the trash, Mom comes up with an ingenious way to hold onto its lingering fragrance—a basketful of needles that will keep the gradually diminishing Christmas smell.
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